FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 14 June 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/

FAO and WHO urge strong political commitment to tackle malnutrition at upcoming high-level international conference
As hundreds of millions of people around the world continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition, governments should make stronger commitments at the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) to ensure healthier diets for all, the heads of FAO and WHO said today.
12-06-2014

Countries crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
Countries took a major step forward in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing today as they endorsed a set of international guidelines that will hold states more accountable for the activities of fishing vessels flying their flags.
11-06-2014

Countries recognize vital role of small-scale fishers
Countries today endorsed a set of wide-reaching guidelines that will boost the already vital role of small-scale fishers in contributing to global food security, nutrition and poverty eradication.
10-06-2014

Fisheries: Urgent action needed on overfishing, pollution and climate change
FAO Director-General tells Committee on Fisheries sustainable fisheries and aquaculture crucial to food security and nutrition.
9-06-2014

UNCTAD [to 14 June 2014]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/Home.aspx

Fiftieth anniversary gives UNCTAD chance to reflect on upcoming development agenda
Full programme of celebratory events to be held in Palais des Nations, Geneva from 16–20 June
UNCTAD/PRESS/PR/2014/026
Geneva, Switzerland, (12 June 2014)
Fifty years to the day after it concluded its first historic meeting in Geneva, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) opens a week of anniversary events on 16 June that focus on its future influence on the changing landscape of trade and development, as well as past successes and present activities.
“UNCTAD’s fiftieth anniversary falls at a time when the global economy needs rebalancing and its governance structure redefining,” UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said. “This year – 2014 – marks an important moment in the multilateral system and offers the international community the chance to reflect on its origins and on our collective accomplishments.”
The programme of events includes the participation of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, veteran trade negotiators from UNCTAD I in 1964, global thought leaders on trade and development questions, and high-level diplomatic, civil society and private sector representation. There will also be a cultural programme including book launches, concerts and a film festival. The week’s events take place over five days at the Palais des Nations, and are open to the public (registration required)….

DFID [to 14 June 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

UK to provide humanitarian support to Iraqi civilians
14 June 2014 DFID Press release

Greening: Education can secure a peaceful future in Nigeria
12 June 2014 DFID Press release

UK pledges more support for victims of sexual violence in war
10 June 2014 DFID and FCO Press release

ODI [to 14 June 2014]
http://www.odi.org.uk/

Legacy of war: ‘Hyper-masculinity’ drives sexual violence harming teenage girls, warns think tank
June 2014
As world experts gather in London for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UK’s leading development think-tank warns that mothers raped during conflicts now face the trauma of seeing their daughters also become victims of sexual assault, as the ‘hyper-masculinity’ sparked by war persists into peacetime.
Researchers from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) interviewed survivors in Liberia, where the civil war ended in 2003. During the war, it is estimated that up to 77% of women experienced sexual violence, but today Liberia continues to have one of the highest incidences of sexual assault in the world, and most of the survivors are teenage girls.
ODI experts say that aid donors at the London summit must take the unusual step of committing to long-term approaches – perhaps as long as 20 years – if sexual violence with impunity normalised during war-time is to be reversed…

IMF [to 14 June 2014]
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm

IMF Launches Global Housing Watch
Press Release No. 14/273
June 11, 2014
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today launched Global Housing Watch, a webpage (www.imf.org/housing) dedicated to featuring its analysis on housing markets across the world. The page will provide a one-stop shop for the Fund’s Global House Price Index and other data on housing indicators. The launch is part of an initiative to highlight the IMF’s research on the housing sector and makes it accessible to all audiences. It also aims to promote cross-country collaboration in this field.
Housing is an essential sector of every country’s economy, but has also been a source of financial crises for institutions and countries. “Understanding the drivers of house price cycles, and how to moderate these cycles, is important for economic stability. It is only by maintaining an open dialogue on these issues that we will gain a solid understanding of how policies can contain housing booms,” IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu said in a blog post.
The Global Housing Watch is a compilation of average housing prices in different countries that allows a global perspective and cross-country comparisons. It also includes charts that provide a benchmark comparison of house prices to incomes and rents. The website will be updated regularly, including through a quarterly report starting in July that will feature other indicators and analysis. “This is the launch of an initiative, not the end point,” said Prakash Loungani, Advisor in the IMF Research Department in an IMF Survey Interview.

Speech: Towards the Next Era of Growth—Reforms and Rebalancing
The International Economic Forum of the Americas
By Christine Lagarde
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Montreal, June 9, 2014

World Bank [to 14 June 2014]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all

African Countries and their International Partners Agree to Collaborate on Building Skills for Africa’s Transformation
June 12, 2014
DAKAR, Senegal, June 12, 2014—Education ministers and delegates from 12 African countries have agreed on a broad framework for collaboration between governments, the private sector and education/training institutions that will help to strengthen technical and scientific skills in Africa…

American Journal of Disaster Medicine
Winter 2014, Volume 9, Number 1
http://www.pnpco.com/pn03000.html

Article
Telemedicine for disaster management: Can it transform chaos into an organized, structured care from the distance?
Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS; Elizabeth H. Tilley, PhD
Winter 2014; pages 25-37
Abstract
Background: Telemedicine and advanced technologies that ensure telepresence have become common practice and are an effective way of providing healthcare services.
Materials and methods: The authors conducted a traditional narrative review of English literature through search engines (Medline, Pub Med, Embase, and Science Direct) using mesh terms “telemedicine,” “telepresence,” “earthquake,” “disaster,” “natural disaster,” and “man-made disaster” published between January 1, 1980 and September 30, 2013. For our analysis, only published studies were selected when telemedicine or telepresence was reported for disaster management, both in real life and in mock and simulation situations. Original articles, clinical trials, case presentations, and review articles were considered. Books and book chapters were used as well. Data from the International Disaster Database were included in the review to provide a sense of worldwide disaster occurrence. Symposia and other meetings were searched and used when available.
Results: Between January 1980 and September 2013, 17,565 disasters recorded. During this study period, 878 articles, chapters, books, and presentations were reported. Of these, only 88 articles and books fulfilled our selection criteria. Six articles described the effectiveness of telemedicine in mock simulations and disaster drills, and 63 presented the need and discussed how telemedicine would be beneficial in disaster response. Only 19 articles provided examples of effective use of telemedicine in disaster response. However, these studies demonstrated telemedicine as a valuable tool for communication between front-line humanitarian aid workers and expert physicians at remote locations.
Conclusion: Telemedicine has not been used thus in the management of disasters, despite its great potential. There is an acute need for establishing telemedicine programs in high risk areas for disasters, so that when these disasters strike, existing telemedicine networks can be used, rather than attempting to bring solutions into a chaotic situation postevent.

BMC Medical Ethics
(Accessed 14 June 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content

Debate
Child’s assent in research: Age threshold or personalisation?
Marcin Waligora, Vilius Dranseika and Jan Piasecki
Author Affiliations
BMC Medical Ethics 2014, 15:44 doi:10.1186/1472-6939-15-44
Published: 13 June 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Assent is an important ethical and legal requirement of paediatric research. Unfortunately, there are significant differences between the guidelines on the details of assent.
Discussion
What often remains unclear is the scope of the assent, the procedure for acquiring it, and the way in which children’s capacity to assent is determined. There is a general growing tendency that suggests that the process of assent should be personalised, that is, tailored to a particular child. This article supports the idea of personalisation. However, we also propose placing limits on personalisation by introducing a suggested requirement of assent starting at a school-age threshold. In some situations RECs/IRBs and researchers could reduce the suggested threshold

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 14 June 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Suicidal behaviour across the African continent: a review of the literature
Becky Mars, Stephanie Burrows, Heidi Hjelmeland and David Gunnell
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:606 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-606
Published: 14 June 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Suicide is a major cause of premature mortality worldwide, but data on its epidemiology in Africa, the world’s second most populous continent, are limited.
Methods
We systematically reviewed published literature on suicidal behaviour in African countries. We searched PubMed, Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, African Index Medicus, Eastern Mediterranean Index Medicus and African Journals OnLine and carried out citation searches of key articles. We crudely estimated the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts in Africa based on country-specific data and compared these with published estimates. We also describe common features of suicide and suicide attempts across the studies, including information related to age, sex, methods used and risk factors.
Results
Regional or national suicide incidence data were available for less than one third (16/53) of African countries containing approximately 60% of Africa’s population; suicide attempt data were available for <20% of countries (7/53). Crude estimates suggest there are over 34,000 (inter-quartile range 13,141 to 63,757) suicides per year in Africa, with an overall incidence rate of 3.2 per 100,000 population. The recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimate of 49,558 deaths is somewhat higher, but falls within the inter-quartile range of our estimate. Suicide rates in men are typically at least three times higher than in women. The most frequently used methods of suicide are hanging and pesticide poisoning. Reported risk factors are similar for suicide and suicide attempts and include interpersonal difficulties, mental and physical health problems, socioeconomic problems and drug and alcohol use/abuse. Qualitative studies are needed to identify additional culturally relevant risk factors and to understand how risk factors may be connected to suicidal behaviour in different socio-cultural contexts.
Conclusions
Our estimate is somewhat lower than GBD, but still clearly indicates suicidal behaviour is an important public health problem in Africa. More regional studies, in both urban and rural areas, are needed to more accurately estimate the burden of suicidal behaviour across the continent. Qualitative studies are required in addition to quantitative studies.

Brown Journal of World Affairs
20.2 Spring/Summer 2014
http://www.bjwa.org/index.php?subpage=currentissue

The Changing Face of Humanitarian Crises
Frederick M. Burkle, Jr., Gerald Martone & P. Gregg Greenough

The scale and cadence of crises that demand international humanitarian response is increasing. The cumulative frequency and severity of climate change on large populations, rapid and unsustainable urbanization, decreasing biodiversity, and the impending realities of resource scarcities and the armed conflicts they might catalyze are only some of the challenges that loom ahead. It is ironic that while human civilization today possesses the most advanced technologies, global prosperity, and abundance, we face the greatest absolute number of people lacking access to clean water, food, shelter, and basic healthcare.1 Worldwide standards of living show that health status, life expectancy, child survival, democratization and political participation, literacy and matriculation, and gender equality are at their best while the incidence of armed conflicts is at the lowest level in human history.2 Yet despite the improvement in global standards, the shortcomings in worldwide accessibility to basic needs make the preparation of the humanitarian complex even more urgent in the face of emerging crises.

Critical masses of evidence indicate that the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme events affecting populations are on the rise.3 These “mega-catastrophes” are attributable to a number of converging megatrends, defined here as global, sustained, and often slow to form forces that will define our future. An increasing number of droughts on every continent; rapid and unsustainable urbanization plagued by insufficient public health infrastructure and social protections; scarcity of water, food, energy, and arable land; and the loss of biodiversity systems that serve as the biological oxygen of the world and the major safeguard against infectious diseases exemplify the megatrends of climate extremes. These megatrends may lead to an additional and potentially explosive
trend where conflicts increasingly emerge as populations desperately compete for limited resources necessary for survival.
Informal Workers’ Struggles in Eight Countries
Rina Agarwala
On 24 April 2013, an eight-story building in Bangladesh collapsed, killing and injuring hundreds of workers.1 Over half of the victims were women and children, and nearly all of them were low-income garment workers producing cheap clothes for 29 different Western brands. The workers operated in five garment factories that were built without permits on the top floors of the building and lacked standard safety features. They were told to come to work even though other occupants of the building were evacuated when cracks in the building were discovered the day before. The accident, now known as the deadliest garment factory accident in history, rocked the world with appalling pictures of trapped workers reaching out for help. It unveiled the plight of the growing group of unregulated, unprotected workers who are often hidden from the public eye, but form the bedrock of contemporary global economic production.
Since the turn of the last century, the world’s workers have struggled to institute a social contract that could eradicate the type of unprotected work found in the Bangladeshi garment factories by regulating working conditions and protecting all workers’ dignity and human rights. While the resulting social contracts that emerged during the twentieth century varied across countries—in substance and in enforcement—the contracts shared, at the very least, an expressed commitment to holding capital responsible for decommodifying workers’ productive and reproductive labor in the form of minimum wages, job security, work contracts, and in some cases health care and old-age benefits. In return for the formal recognition of work and attached benefits, workers provided their labor. The state was held responsible (usually by organized labor) for enforcing this contract between capital and labor. So how did the thousands of unprotected Bangladeshi garment workers in the fated building emerge?
Can Cities Save the Future?
Seth Kaplan
Fragile states remain among the international community’s biggest challenges. Efforts to address their governance problems have mostly failed, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Foreign aid has not fixed economies, international troops have not brought security, and elections have not produced responsive governments. Furthermore, the dangers fragile states pose appear to be on the rise. Syria is the new hotbed of extremists, Somali terrorists threaten to overturn East Africa’s fortunes, and instability in Libya has spilled over into Mali and the Sahel countries. Meanwhile, the problem is broadening: an increasing number of the world’s poor live in these fragile states, with the share “set to rise to half in 2018 and nearly two-thirds in 2030.”1
Fragile states—some 60 countries that are plagued by deeply entrenched sociopolitical and institutional problems—are not like other states. They function—albeit barely—according to a different set of sociopolitical dynamics due to their internal divisions and weak institutions. As such, they face uniquely formidable obstacles to stability, development, and democracy, trapping them in a vicious cycle whereby instability and underdevelopment feed on each other with little hope for change. Social divisions hold back efforts at improving governance and economic opportunity, which in turn creates discontent and a zero-sum competition for power and resources.

Emergency Medicine Journal
July 2014, Volume 31, Issue 7
http://emj.bmj.com/content/current

Original article
Using a mobile app and mobile workforce to validate data about emergency public health resources
Anna Marie Chang1, Alison C Leung2, Olivia Saynisch2, Heather Griffis2, Shawndra Hill3, John C Hershey3, Lance B Becker2, David A Asch3, Ariel Seidman4, Raina Martha Merchant2
Author Affiliations
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
2Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
3The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
4Gigwalk, San Francisco, California, USA
Abstract
Background Social media and mobile applications that allow people to work anywhere are changing the way people can contribute and collaborate.
Objective We sought to determine the feasibility of using mobile workforce technology to validate the locations of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), an emergency public health resource.
Methods We piloted the use of a mobile workforce application, to verify the location of 40 AEDs in Philadelphia county. AEDs were pre-identified in public locations for baseline data. The task of locating AEDs was posted online for a mobile workforce from October 2011 to January 2012. Participants were required to submit a mobile phone photo of AEDs and descriptions of the location.
Results Thirty-five of the 40 AEDs were identified within the study period. Most, 91% (32/35) of the submitted AED photo information was confirmed project baseline data. Participants also provided additional data such as business hours and other nearby AEDs.
Conclusions It is feasible to engage a mobile workforce to complete health research-related tasks. Participants were able to validate information about emergency public health resources.

Globalization and Health
[Accessed 14 June 2014]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/

Commentary
Health diplomacy: a new approach to the Muslim world?
Suleman M, Ali R and Kerr DJ
Globalization and Health 2014, 10:50 (13 June 2014)

Research
Mobile health for non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature and strategic framework for research
Bloomfield GS, Vedanthan R, Vasudevan L, Kithei A, Were M and Velazquez EJ
Globalization and Health 2014, 10:49 (13 June 2014)

Research
Community empowerment and involvement of female sex workers in targeted sexual and reproductive health interventions in Africa: a systematic review
Moore L, Chersich MF, Steen R, Reza-Paul S, Dhana A, Vuylsteke B, Lafort Y and Scorgie F Globalization and Health 2014, 10:47 (10 June 2014)

Research
Systematic review of facility-based sexual and reproductive health services for female sex workers in Africa
Dhana A, Luchters S, Moore L, Lafort Y, Roy A, Scorgie F and Chersich M
Globalization and Health 2014, 10:46 (10 June 2014)

Health and Human Rights
Volume 16, Issue 1
http://www.hhrjournal.org/

Climate Justice and the Right to Health – A Special Issue
Prioritizing Health: A Human Rights Analysis of Disaster, Vulnerability, and Urbanization in New Orleans and Port-au-Prince
Jean Carmalt
Abstract
Climate change prompts increased urbanization and vulnerability to natural hazards. Urban-ization processes are relevant to a right to health analysis of natural hazards because they can exacerbate pre-disaster inequalities that create vulnerability. The 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince and the 2005 hurricane in New Orleans provide vivid illustrations of the relationship between spatial inequality and the threats associated with natural hazards. The link between urbanization processes, spatial inequality, and vulnerability to natural hazards is important in terms of an analysis of the right to health; in particular, it provides a basis for arguing that states should prioritize equitable land use and development as a matter of human rights. This article draws on work by geographers, disaster specialists, and international legal scholars to argue that inequitable urbanization processes violate the obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the human right to health in disaster-prone regions.

Human Service Organizations Management, Leadership & Governance
Volume 38, Issue 3, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wasw21/current#.U0sFzFcWNdc

Individual and Work Values of Nonprofit, Public, and Business Employees: How Similar or Different Are They?
Kristina Jaskytea
DOI: 10.1080/03643107.2013.866606
pages 283-296
Published online: 13 Jun 2014
Abstract
This study explored differences in individual and work values among employees of nonprofit, public, and business organizations in a sample of 656 organizations. The data used in the present study were extracted from the World Values Survey (WVS) data set. The results of this study showed that while work values were related to the sector of employment, individual values were not. This suggests that work values, and not individual values, might play an important role in determining which sector individuals choose to work in. Additionally, while work values did not differ based on demographic and job variables, interesting differences in individual values were detected based on age, gender, and job position (supervisor/non-supervisor). Based on the results of this study, the author discusses implications for human resource practices and future research.

International Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 43 Issue 3 June 2014
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

The non-specific effects of vaccines and other childhood interventions: the contribution of INDEPTH Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems
Osman Sankoh1,2,3,*, Paul Welaga1,4, Cornelius Debpuur1,4, Charles Zandoh1,5, Stephney Gyaase1,5, Mary Atta Poma1,6, Martin Kavao Mutua1,7, SM Manzoor Ahmed Hanifi1,8, Cesario Martins1,9, Eric Nebie1,10, Moubassira Kagoné1,10, Jacques BO Emina1 and Peter Aaby1,9
Author Affiliations
1INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana, 2School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 3Faculty of Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam, 4Navrongo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Navrongo, Ghana, 5Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Kintampo, Ghana, 6Dodowa Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Dodowa, Ghana, 7African Population and Health Research Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, 8Chakaria Community Health Project Community Health Division, ICDDRB, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 9Bandim Health Project, Bandim, Guiné-Bissau and 10Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna (CRSN), Nouna, Burkina Faso
Accepted April 3, 2014.
Abstract
Most childhood interventions (vaccines, micronutrients) in low-income countries are justified by their assumed effect on child survival. However, usually the interventions have only been studied with respect to their disease/deficiency-specific effects and not for their overall effects on morbidity and mortality. In many situations, the population-based effects have been very different from the anticipated effects; for example, the measles-preventive high-titre measles vaccine was associated with 2-fold increased female mortality; BCG reduces neonatal mortality although children do not die of tuberculosis in the neonatal period; vitamin A may be associated with increased or reduced child mortality in different situations; effects of interventions may differ for boys and girls. The reasons for these and other contrasts between expectations and observations are likely to be that the immune system learns more than specific prevention from an intervention; such training may enhance or reduce susceptibility to unrelated infections. INDEPTH member centres have been in an ideal position to document such additional non-specific effects of interventions because they follow the total population long term. It is proposed that more INDEPTH member centres extend their routine data collection platform to better measure the use and effects of childhood interventions. In a longer perspective, INDEPTH may come to play a stronger role in defining health research issues of relevance to low-income countries.

Commentary: Potential implications of non-specific effects of childhood vaccines
Harshpal Singh Sachdev
Author Affiliations
Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Epidemiology, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, B-16 Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi 110016, India.
Abstract
The World Health Organization states that: ‘A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and ‘remember’ it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters’.1 This statement is in conformity with the usual scientific and lay perceptions that vaccines have only specific disease-protective effects. However, historically it has been suspected that Vaccinia2 and BCG vaccination3 confer protection against non-targeted infectious diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that vaccines can positively or negatively affect the resistance to other infectious diseases—the so-called non-specific effects of vaccines or non-specific immunomodulation by vaccines. The bulk of this evidence has been generated from Guinea-Bissau by researchers led by Peter Aaby. The current status of global evidence has been summarized by them in this issue of IJE4 and elsewhere.5 On this basis, they also suggest a new definition of vaccines: ‘A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease and at the same …

International Migration Review
Summer 2014 Volume 48, Issue 2 Pages 283–574
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imre.2014.48.issue-1/issuetoc

Original Article
The Globalization of Migration: Has the World Become More Migratory?
Mathias Czaika and Hein de Haas
Article first published online: 20 MAY 2014
DOI: 10.1111/imre.12095
Abstract
Although it is commonly believed that the volume, diversity, geographical scope, and overall complexity of international migration have increased as part of globalization processes, this idea has remained largely untested. This article analyzes shifts in global migration patterns between 1960 and 2000 using indices that simultaneously capture changes in the spread, distance, and intensity of migration. While the results challenge the idea that there has been a global increase in volume, diversity, and geographical scope of migration, main migratory shifts have been directional. Migration has globalized from a destination country perspective but hardly from an origin country perspective, with migrants from an increasingly diverse array of non-European-origin countries concentrating in a shrinking pool of prime destination countries. The global migration map has thus become more skewed. Rather than refuting the globalization of migration hypothesis, this seems to reflect the asymmetric nature of globalization processes in general.

The Lancet
Jun 14, 2014 Volume 383 Number 9934 p2019 – 2098 e19 – 21
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Ending sexual violence in conflict and beyond
The Lancet
Today’s Lancet has a special focus on sexual violence in conflict to coincide with the first Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London, June 10–14. War zone sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence inflict extreme suffering and represent serious violations of human rights. These crimes leave physical, psychological, social, and economic scars on individuals, families, and communities. And shamefully, most of the perpetrators are never brought to justice.

Comment
Mass gatherings medicine: international cooperation and progress
Ziad A Memish a b, Alimuddin Zumla c, Brian McCloskey d, David Heymann e f, Abdullah A Al Rabeeah a, Maurizio Barbeschi g, Richard Horton h
Excerpt
In July, 2012, we discussed plans to move the complex public health issues surrounding mass gatherings into a formal scientific discipline, and to create a global network for mass gatherings research, training, and capacity development.1, 2 We believed that it was important for this network to be led by Saudi Arabia, since the country has extensive experience through many decades of managing millions of pilgrims from 184 countries at the largest yearly recurring religious mass gathering in the world—the Hajj. Subsequently, the Saudi Government and WHO3 strongly supported mass gatherings medicine as a scientific discipline, establishing the Saudi Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine (GCMGM), with its headquarters in Riyadh and membership from other Gulf countries,4 and a virtual research network linked with other WHO collaborating centres for mass gatherings. This network has brought together global academic and public health institutions with complementary expertise to gather and translate the most appropriate public health policy evidence for use by countries that host, or plan to host, mass gathering events…
…Mass gatherings medicine provides an opportunity to generate a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and sharing the experiences of organisers can assist in shaping a positive legacy and provide valuable lessons for organisers of future events. The value to planners of mass gatherings and their governments in sharing best practices is clear, as is the need for new operational research into mass gatherings, with systematic collection and analysis of data to inform planning activities for future events. Through provision of scientific evidence, the GCMGM aims to drive the best health promotion and prevention guidelines and practice, including health education for attendees of mass gatherings across different contexts. The Hajj provides an ideal model for research into mass gatherings that recur yearly in the same location, and the very large sporting events provide a different context and complementary opportunities for research and training. Substantial gaps in research remain, particularly in relation to mass gatherings in low-resource settings and in unplanned or spontaneous mass gatherings….

Lancet Series –mass gatherings medicine
Hajj: infectious disease surveillance and control
Prof Ziad A Memish FRCPC a b c d, Prof Alimuddin Zumla FRCP a e f, Rafat F Alhakeem MD a d, Abdullah Assiri MD d, Abdulhafeez Turkestani MD d, Khalid D Al Harby MD d, Mohamed Alyemni PhD d, Khalid Dhafar MD d, Philippe Gautret MD g, Maurizio Barbeschi PhD a h, Brian McCloskey MD a i, Prof David Heymann MD a j k, Abdullah A Al Rabeeah FRCS a d, Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq FACP l m
Summary
Religious festivals attract a large number of pilgrims from worldwide and are a potential risk for the transmission of infectious diseases between pilgrims, and to the indigenous population. The gathering of a large number of pilgrims could compromise the health system of the host country. The threat to global health security posed by infectious diseases with epidemic potential shows the importance of advanced planning of public health surveillance and response at these religious events. Saudi Arabia has extensive experience of providing health care at mass gatherings acquired through decades of managing millions of pilgrims at the Hajj. In this report, we describe the extensive public health planning, surveillance systems used to monitor public health risks, and health services provided and accessed during Hajj 2012 and Hajj 2013 that together attracted more than 5 million pilgrims from 184 countries. We also describe the recent establishment of the Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, a Saudi Government partnership with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Gulf Co-operation Council states, UK universities, and public health institutions globally.

The Lancet Global Health
Jun 2014 Volume 2 Number 6 e301 – 363
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Early Online Publication, 10 June 2014

Cost-effectiveness of female human papillomavirus vaccination in 179 countries: a PRIME modelling study
Mark Jit PhD a b, Marc Brisson PhD c d e, Allison Portnoy MSPH f, Dr Raymond Hutubessy PhD g
Summary
Background
Introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in settings with the highest burden of HPV is not universal, partly because of the absence of quantitative estimates of country-specific effects on health and economic costs. We aimed to develop and validate a simple generic model of such effects that could be used and understood in a range of settings with little external support.
Methods
We developed the Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics (PRIME) model to assess cost-effectiveness and health effects of vaccination of girls against HPV before sexual debut in terms of burden of cervical cancer and mortality. PRIME models incidence according to proposed vaccine efficacy against HPV 16/18, vaccine coverage, cervical cancer incidence and mortality, and HPV type distribution. It assumes lifelong vaccine protection and no changes to other screening programmes or vaccine uptake. We validated PRIME against existing reports of HPV vaccination cost-effectiveness, projected outcomes for 179 countries (assuming full vaccination of 12-year-old girls), and outcomes for 71 phase 2 GAVI-eligible countries (using vaccine uptake data from the GAVI Alliance). We assessed differences between countries in terms of cost-effectiveness and health effects.
Findings
In validation, PRIME reproduced cost-effectiveness conclusions for 24 of 26 countries from 17 published studies, and for all 72 countries in a published study of GAVI-eligible countries. Vaccination of a cohort of 58 million 12-year-old girls in 179 countries prevented 690 000 cases of cervical cancer and 420 000 deaths during their lifetime (mostly in low-income or middle-income countries), at a net cost of US$4 billion. HPV vaccination was very cost effective (with every disability-adjusted life-year averted costing less than the gross domestic product per head) in 156 (87%) of 179 countries. Introduction of the vaccine in countries without national HPV vaccination at present would prevent substantially more cases of cervical cancer than in countries with such programmes, although the disparity has narrowed since 2012. If 71 phase 2 GAVI-eligible countries adopt vaccination according to forecasts, then in 2070 GAVI Alliance-funded vaccination could prevent 200 000 cases of cervical cancer and 100 000 deaths in some of the highest-burden countries.
Interpretation
Large between-country disparities exist for HPV vaccination, with countries with the most to gain yet to introduce national HPV vaccination. Support from the GAVI Alliance could help to reduce such disparities, but a substantial burden will remain even after presently projected vaccine introductions.
Funding
WHO.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 14 June 2014)

Policy Forum
Antiretroviral Therapy for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: A Call for Equity
Joshua B Mendelsohn mail, Paul Spiegel, Marian Schilperoord, Nadine Cornier, David A. Ross
Published: June 10, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001643
Summary Points
:: Available evidence suggests that refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in stable settings can sustain high levels of adherence and viral suppression.
:: Moral, legal, and public health principles and recent evidence strongly suggest that refugees and IDPs should have equitable access to HIV treatment and support.
:: Exclusion of refugees and IDPs from HIV National Strategic Plans suggests that they may not be included in future national funding proposals to major donors.
:: Levels of viral suppression among refugees and nationals documented in a stable refugee camp suggest that some settings require more intensive support for all population groups.
:: Detailed recommendations are provided for refugees and IDPs accessing antiretroviral therapy in stable settings.

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
May 2014
http://www.plosntds.org/article/browseIssue.action

Viewpoints
Social Sciences Research on Infectious Diseases of Poverty: Too Little and Too Late?
José Azoh Barry mail
Published: June 12, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002803
Introduction
Infectious diseases of poverty, also labeled tropical diseases or neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and caused by pathogenic agents (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other parasites), are viciously more prevalent among poor people. Though being preventable for the most part in a cost-effective way, they are devastating. These are, to name a few, Chagas disease, schistosomiasis, malaria, leprosy, visceral leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, Buruli ulcer, and onchocerciasis. Besides the vicious circle these diseases maintain with dire conditions of poverty, an increased microbial resistance to some therapeutic drugs adds to the complexity of health disparities and human suffering among the socially disadvantaged, marginalized, and prejudiced against. Fostering virtuous circles (as opposed to vicious circles) against infections of poverty and putting the disenfranchised first are primary concerns for social scientists engaged with research into infectious diseases of poverty. The historical role of social science research into these diseases, its current impacts, substantial contributions, and opportunities and interests for future endeavors are the focus of this article. Persistent disruptions and their propensity to wholly hamper productivity, derail economic and social progress, and deny child development are part of the complex reality to look into. In forcing the displacement of populations and creating chaos, they increase the risk for the spread of infections and maintain the infected poor in a downward spiral of poverty through their capacity of securing the vicious relationship with NTDs. Rather than compassion for inequalities, vulnerabilities, deprivations and misery, or bad fate, foci such as social justice, preparedness, and empowerment are of utmost importance. The case for bridging the divide among scientific disciplines has been strongly made over the years by scholars and outside of academic institutions. Acknowledging the importance of interdisciplinary science and contemplating the need for funded multidisciplinary research is hopeful for broadening the expertise needed to tackle these multidimensional afflictions. However, it should also call for a cautious enthusiasm…